After backlash, Katz claims he didn’t try to fire general on TV, says replacement was in works

Defense Minister Israel Katz denies that he called to oust Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth on live television last night, after a major backlash accusing him of politicizing the military.

During the Channel 14 broadcast, Katz had denounced Bluth and announced a replacement for him. The military quickly put out a sharp statement saying Bluth would remain in his post and noting that defense minister does not have the authority to unilaterally fire Bluth.

“The attempt to portray my remarks as if I called for the dismissal of the Central Command chief live on air is a complete lie, part of a political campaign directed against the government,” Katz says in a statement released by his office.

Katz cites a Channel 12 news report from April 24 which said that IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir recommended IDF Personnel Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa as the next Central Command chief.

“On July 28, Channel 14 news reported that I had accepted the chief of staff’s recommendation, and after conducting an interview with Maj. Gen. Bar Kalifa and concluding that he was the most suitable candidate, I decided to advance his appointment in accordance with the procedures,” he claims, although the military said last night that the appointment of Bar Kalifa had not been “in accordance with procedures.”

“In other words, months before the interview, the chief of staff’s recommendation had already been made, approved by me, and the appointment process was already well underway. Therefore, the attempt to portray the decision as having been made following the interview does not stand up to the facts,” Katz says.

Despite the media reports, the IDF had not announced that Bar Kalifa would be replacing Bluth, and neither had Katz until last night.

Katz says that during last night’s Channel 14 broadcast, “when one of the participants called to ‘dismiss the general,’ I immediately and clearly responded: ‘No.'”

The defense minister says that “this is not a real controversy but a media attempt to divert the discussion from the real question: What will happen if Yair Golan, who has already threatened to dismiss Maj. Gen. David Zini, becomes defense minister in a government led by Gadi Eisenkot?” he says, refering to political leaders arrayed against the current government in upcoming elections

Golan, who heads the Democrats, has pledged that if voted into power, he will oust Zini as Shin Bet chief.

“In that case, there is concern that members of the old conception will once again be appointed, something that could harm the settlement enterprise and Israel’s security,” he adds.